He was not really sure how far or for how long he had been
driving. He wanted to go on a long drive to clear his mind of the
clutter but his thoughts still kept going back to the discussion with Rajiv.
Karan stopped by the road side tea stall to take a break. He
looked at his watch and realized he had been driving for close to two hours
now. The long drive had helped him partially clear his mind, though there were a lot of questions for which he would have liked answers.
The evening sky was being engulfed by dark black clouds and it looked like
a storm was just around the corner.“Kaka, ek chai”, Karan spoke in the local language. While
his tea was being prepared, Karan made a call. There was no response from the other
side and he let it ring till the call got disconnected. Rajiv did not answer, not that Karan expected him to, but he still made an effort. Karan was sure he would get all the answers and it was just a
matter of time.
Karan stood leaning against his parked bike still waiting for his tea. He was on the outskirts of the city and the roads were relatively empty. On the other side of the road, he saw a group of school boys, running towards the bus stand to catch a
bus home. A young boy was cycling his way home, his cheeks puffed out as he used every sinew to take the cycle forward against the wind. The rain was fast approaching but Karan was in no
hurry to go home. If there was one thing he loved, it was the rain.
Be it making paper boats and leaving them in the puddles of rain water or playing soccer with friends in a heavy downpour, Karan never
missed a chance to enjoy the rain. He knew he had yet another chance to enjoy it today.
It would start raining in the next 10 - 15 minutes and Karan had a good 2 hours
of driving to do to reach home.
A sip of the hot ginger tea brought Karan back to the
present and along with it the worries came flooding back. He had to get back to his own team and discuss
the situation with them. What will he tell his team? How would they react? A lot
of questions needed to be answered and there was also the not so small matter of
talking to the Mumbai team to apprise them of the situation.
Right now Karan needed to relax. A relaxed mind was a good
medium to solve problems and he knew it well. It just about started to drizzle
as Karan started his bike. By the time he picked up speed, it started raining
heavily. Humming his favorite Kishore Kumar songs, Karan drove in the rain
enjoying every second of his drive. The long drive and rain had helped him to clear his mind of all doubts
and put his worries to rest, albeit temporarily.
By the time he reached home, Karan was completely drenched. As
he stepped in, he saw his appa and uncle discussing over a cup of tea.
“Amma, Karan is here”, Akshu shouted and before he shut her mouth she
continued, “and he is completely drenched.” The next moment he could hear amma’s
voice, “how many times do I tell you Karan, why can’t you wait till the rain
stops. Why do you get drenched every time?” He could hear Akshu chuckle and
turned around to see his dad and uncle also join her in laughter.
Karan changed into a dry pair of clothes and walked out into the hall. Munching
on the hot snacks, he saw all of them around the center table deeply engrossed
in a game of UNO. A smile crossed his
lips as he looked at all of them. All the troubles, all the worries seemed to
vanish when he was home.
Home made him happy and he knew there was nothing
in the world that he could trade for this happiness. He squeezed in the gap between
appa and Akshu, not to miss out on the snacks or the happy moments.
At the same time, in a different corner of the city, Kumar was driving back home, plotting his next move and Rajiv was struggling to stand on his feet, waiting for a cab to drop him home.
Home makes me happy too. :) A great piece. Good luck with the Challenge!
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